Prisoner of the Mountains

Prisoner of the Mountains (1996)

Кавказский пленник

An extraordinary story of hope, courage and humanity.

Two Russian soldiers, one battle-seasoned and the other barely into his boots and uniform, are taken prisoner by an anxious Islamic father from a remote village hoping to trade them for his captured son.

Date of release
1996-03-15
TMDB
6.7 / 10 (71)
Runtime
1h 39m
Genres
Drama, War
Director
Sergei Bodrov

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Awards: 2 · Nominations: 2. Including: European Film Award for Best Screenwriter; Crystal Globe

Prisoner of the Mountains, also known as Prisoner of the Caucasus, is a 1996 Russian war drama film directed by Sergei Bodrov, based on the 1872 short story The Prisoner in the Caucasus by Leo Tolstoy. The film explores the clash between traditional Chechen culture and Russian military tactics during the First Chechen War, focusing on the personal struggle between two Russian soldiers and their Chechen captors.

Production

The Prisoner in the Caucasus was originally a more pro-Russian story. Bodrov, in adapting the original narrative for the movie, sought to make it more universal and appealing to a broader audience. Bodrov was inspired by the story since childhood and aimed to add depth by focusing more on a second soldier, a character less emphasized in the original. Overall, Bodrov infused the film with irony and realism, enhancing its impact.

The film was shot in Dagestan and Kazakhstan, with specific filming locations including the village of Richa in the Agulsky District, the village of Maraga in the Tabasaran District, and the old part of Derbent city. A scene portraying mountain dwellers relaxing and preparing shish kebabs was filmed near the Khuchnin waterfall in the Tabasaran district.

The film features many shots of the vast mountainous landscape, suggesting that the mountains’ emptiness serves as a large prison for the captives Vanya and Sasha.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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